Jan. 10, 2015
FORT WORTH, Texas - For the second-straight year, head coach James Franklin served as a guest analyst and participated in a host of shows on ESPN for the network's preview coverage for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Franklin traveled to Fort Worth on Thursday to spend the day with a who's who of national college football personalities to help preview Monday's title game between Ohio State and Oregon. The day included two live segments on SportsCenter and a stint on College Football Live.
"So thankful of ESPN giving us the opportunity to come down here and represent the Big Ten," said Franklin. "Most important for us, this was another opportunity for us to get out on national television, sell our brand, which is Penn State. And it was a great opportunity to interact and talk ball while selling Penn State nationally."
Franklin's day started with meetings and interaction with a host of on-air personalities inside ESPN's College Football Playoff National Championship headquarters on the 31st floor of the D.R. Horton building in downtown Fort Worth. Franklin spent time with Penn State great Todd Blackledge, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis, Lou Holtz, David Pollack, Jesse Palmer, Scott Van Pelt, Joe Tessitore, Mark May, George Whitfield and Lee Corso, among others.
The leader of Nittany Lion football first appeared on a SportsCenter roundtable with Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and former Michigan coach Brady Hoke, along with hosts Chris McKendry and Jay Crawford at 10:30 a.m. CT. Franklin then appeared on SportsCenter live at 11:20 a.m. CT for a solo segment on the Sundance Square Plaza set to preview the title game and talk about the 2014 season for the Nittany Lions.
Franklin returned to the set at 1:30 p.m. CT for a seven-minute segment on College Football Live with Kelly, Hoke and host Chris Cotter. Franklin and the two coaches broke down Monday's matchup between the Buckeyes and Ducks. Portions of the College Football Live segment will also air on ESPN Radio's Championship Drive during the next three days leading up to the game.
Take a behind the scenes look at Franklin's trip to the ESPN set as a guest analyst, including a visit with some Penn State fans from Texas.
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